The Danbury Hat Tricks capitalized on special teams Friday night, scoring twice on the power play to earn a 2–1 road victory over the Philadelphia Rebels in game one of a home-and-home series.
Tanner Terranova and Luke Melnik each found the back of the net with the man advantage, while goaltender Jon Dukaric stopped 24 of 25 shots to secure his third win of the season.
After a scoreless and evenly played first period, Danbury broke through late in the second. With Philadelphia’s Johnny Conlin in the box for high sticking, Terranova converted a cross-ice feed from Ryan Lukko, blasting a one-timer from the near point that beat Rebels netminder Ilja Nikitins on the long side for his second goal of the year.
Conlin drew the Rebels even midway through the third period. Just moments after a Danbury penalty expired, he intercepted a breakout attempt and fired a shot past Dukaric to tie the game at one.
The Hat Tricks regained the lead on their third power play of the night. With Philadelphia’s Cade Kozak off for tripping, Melnik ripped a wrist shot from the high slot that slipped past Nikitins with just six seconds left on the advantage — a goal that would stand as the game-winner.
Nikitins finished with 30 saves on 32 shots in the loss. Click here for the complete box score.